


Man of Fire

by yungmenace



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: F/M, Kinda, Light Angst, Mentor/Protégé, Prequel, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Teacher-Student Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-04
Updated: 2020-03-09
Packaged: 2021-02-23 08:07:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23008354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yungmenace/pseuds/yungmenace
Summary: A prequel to the individual stories from my series of Pokemon fics, A Champion Time.Kabu had been your mentor for as long as you could remember. And for all that time, you'd had a crush on him. You never believed it would amount to anything, since he was your teacher and a family friend. But the man of fire had his own secrets.
Relationships: Kabu (Pokemon)/Reader, Kabu/Original Pokemon Trainer(s)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 72





	1. Hoenn

You were given your first Pokemon when you were 13 years old, just barely a teenager. It was a bit later than most other children because your parents had wanted you to be thoroughly prepared before you got your first partner. They had already arranged for you to have a mentor, a family friend that had been training Pokemon for years. He was the one who had decided what your first Pokemon would be and had presented you with it on your birthday.

Kabu was the most beautiful man you had ever seen. Granted you hadn't seen very many real men in your life, but you were sure he was the prettiest. He towered over you, partly due to your own short stature, and had the kindest smile. His dark hair fell in the most natural and lovely way, and you frequently caught yourself staring at him when your parents had him over for dinner. 

Of course to him you were just the newest trainer he was going to mentor. He was 20 years your senior and obviously had no interest in a 13 year old. And yet, you continued to pine after him. 

Every day, you met with him outside of town to practice. Your Charmander had gotten significantly stronger over the few months that you had been training with him, and you had a feeling he was about to evolve. Your feeling was confirmed when you stepped through the tall grass, Kabu right behind you, and were pounced upon by a Geodude. It had the type advantage, but one thing Kabu frequently stressed was having moves that may not be perfect for your Pokemon's type but that could help your partner face an opponent with advantage. The rock Pokemon hurled boulders at you and your partner, and you both dodged them as you commanded your partner.

Having gotten your opponent down to its last points of health, you prepared for the final strike. As soon as the Geodude fainted, your Charmander was suddenly covered by light and you couldn't see what was going on. You'd never seen a Pokemon evolve in person, but you saw that Kabu was closely watching so you figured you should too. There was a small burst of light and then your Charmander was no more. A bigger Pokemon stood before you, just as confused as you. Your partner glanced back and saw your excitement and a grin formed on his face. He waddled over to you through the grass to embrace you, but hadn't quite gotten a hold of his new longer tail. It swiped in front of you, burning your hands.

Jumping back in pain, you tumbled to the ground on the verge of tears. The Charmeleon retreated into his Pokeball out of fear. You held your hands close to your chest as Kabu knelt next to you. "That's the problem with fire Pokemon," he said quietly, helping you to your feet. "They can burn you too."

When you stood, you nearly collapsed into his arms from the pain. He saw that you weren't able to walk well, and hoisted you into his arms. And then everything felt okay. You held your head close to his chest, trying to cover the tears and blush on your face.

He carried you all the way back to your home and knocked on the door. Your mother answered and nearly collapsed when she saw the state you were in. "It's okay, just a small burn from her new Charmeleon. I'm going to run back to my house and get my burn heal for her." He set you back on your feet much to your dismay, and said he'd be right back.

You sat on the couch in the living room, keeping the burned part of your hands turned upwards. Your mother came in and was shocked that you weren't crying. "That looks painful, honey. How are you not in tears?" Truthfully, it was because of how close you had been to Kabu. How tight he had held you in his arms as he ran to your house. But you couldn't say that. "I'm going to be a fire specialist, I have to get used to being burned."

And that was the moment you decided you'd be a gym leader some day.

Whether that meant taking over the Lavaridge gym or going somewhere else, you would do it. And Kabu would be proud of you. And maybe he'd even be so impressed by you that he would fall in love with you.

It was more likely for you to become Champion than for him to reciprocate your childish crush, but then again, you were young. You could dream. 

You trained with Kabu for years. He became more than a family friend, he was your friend. He had guided you through incredibly important parts of your life, leading you to a goal you felt like you were getting closer to achieving every day. 

He had watched you go through silly relationships in high school that never lasted, and he was always there when you were upset about them ending. Although, you were never all that sad. You were only a teenager and they weren't going to last anyways. 

And despite all those years of trying to force it away, your crush on Kabu persisted. But now it was more than a crush. When you were young, all you knew was that when you saw Kabu, you got butterflies in your stomach and you liked when he smiled at you.

But now you were 17, your birthday was rapidly approaching, and every time you saw Kabu, your chest ached. No one else had ever made you feel like that and you felt stupid that he was the one who made you feel that way. He was the only person who seemed to be off-limits. He was your parents' friend. He was more than twice your age. And he had no interest in you.

Was it love? You had no idea. You didn't have anything to base it off of. All you knew was that he set a fire blazing inside you whenever he was close. You had spent many sleepless nights thinking about him, trying to forget about those stupid things he made you feel. He was your mentor, for Arceus' sake. 

You now nearly had a full team of fire Pokemon. Your first partner, now a Charizard, an Arcanine, a Rapidash, a Houndoom, and a Blaziken. It had been a long journey, but you were excited to complete your team this year. After your birthday, your parents said you could travel to another region to catch your final partner. Kabu had offered to accompany you, as he had been fairly well-traveled before settling in Hoenn. 

It was the day of your 18th birthday, and you had hardly slept the night before. You hadn't seen your mentor for nearly a week, as he wanted to give you some time to relax before your birthday. But knowing you would soon leave on a trip with Kabu was exhilarating, even more so given the fact that you'd be 18 and could maybe finally confess how you felt to him. You sped out of your room, expecting to see your parents and your mentor with breakfast ready as they did every year on your birthday.

But all you saw was your parents looking sadly at what looked like a letter. 

Your father looked up to see you and sighed. "Hey kiddo. I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news but... Kabu was invited to be the leader of the fire gym in Galar and had to leave straight away. He's not going to be able to make it."

You felt crushed. This was something you had been looking forward to since the day you had been told about the trip. And now he was gone, and you couldn't go.

And he was gone.

He was in an entirely different region and he wasn't coming back. 

Your mother wrapped an arm around your shoulder. "He did leave you a present. He wanted you to be able to round out your team." She handed you a shiny Pokeball with a note attached. 

'You always had a special connection with her, and I wanted you to have something to remember me by. Take over Lavaridge and come visit me. -Kabu' As soon as you read it, you knew what it was. As a child, you had a fondness for his Ninetales. She was a beautiful creature and you loved to pet her soft fur and play with her in the sun. She always liked you and listened to your commands. She was one of the few Pokemon he had raised from an egg and he gave her to you. You sighed, holding the ball close to you.

"I'm... going to go train." Your parents were understanding. They knew you had a connection with Kabu and could see that him being gone without warning was upsetting for you. Heading outside, you almost immediately ran into Flannery. "Hey! I heard the news about Kabu and wanted to see you. I... well, I need some new trainers for my gym and since you seem to be done with your training, I was wondering if you'd be interested! I know what you can do, you'd be a great fit."

It was perfect timing. Something to take your mind off the sudden absence of the first and only man you'd ever loved. You immediately agreed and headed to the gym with her to begin learning.

Two years passed. You were quickly recognized as the best trainer in the Lavaridge gym, and Flannery knew it. Not wanting to give up her gym just yet, she suggested you go to Galar to visit Kabu. You had almost completely forgotten about the incident. It was better to forget it and just keep moving forward in life rather than dwelling on it. 

But you could never forget about Kabu.

You had always wanted to visit another region. You'd lived in Hoenn your whole life, and seeing the world seemed to be something all young people wanted to do. You took Flannery's not-so-gentle suggestion and started planning a trip to Galar.

Heading back to your own home, you looked up flights and expenses. Your parents had moved back to their hometown the year prior, but you wanted to stay in Lavaridge. It was quiet and abundant with kind people and fire Pokemon. 

You didn't want to tell Kabu you were coming. You planned on seeing one of his exhibition matches, but were going to leave him alone. He clearly didn't want to see you, otherwise he wouldn't have left without warning. 

Within a few days, you were ready to go. You had a flight, hotel rooms booked in all the major cities, tickets to any major matches happening while you were there, and all of your teammates that could come to the region packed away with your clothes and other essentials.

Hitching a ride on the back of your Charizard, you flew to Slateport City and headed to the newly constructed airport. You didn't want your partner flying such a long distance by himself. You got through customs and security rather fast, and made your way to the boarding area. You sat down, suitcase under your legs, and thought about what you were doing.

You had read up about all of the Pokemon that lived exclusively in the Galar region and you were excited to see them. Despite being a fire type trainer, you were interested in Toxtricity. You planned to catch a Toxel as soon as possible. But the one Pokemon you had your eye on specifically was a Sizzlipede. You'd always thought bug-types were cite, but having a fire/bug mix was even better than just one type. 

You'd done plenty of research on all of the gyms and the unbeatable champion. You were sure you'd never meet any of them yourself, but you figured it was always good to be informed.

Kabu was the leader of the gym in Motostoke, your third stop during your trip. You didn't plan to stay there long. You wanted to avoid seeing him as much as you could, but there was a pulling feeling that made you want to go to Motostoke right away. 

Shaking that feeling out of your head, you heard your section called to board and you headed onto the plane.


	2. Galar

The plane ride was both longer and shorter than you had hoped. You still hadn't made a decision on whether to tell Kabu you were coming or not, and you were getting anxious to be back on the ground. You stepped out of the plane, into the airport in Wyndon. 

Everything seemed so much bigger here. Gym battles were advertised everywhere. There were stores with merchandise for each of the leaders and the champion. You'd never seen anything like it back home. As you walked to the center of the city, you saw an ad flash on one of the screens talking about Kabu's upcoming match, complete with an image of him.

He looked so different. His hair had gone grayer and he looked so much more intense. But he also seemed happy. Maybe him coming here was the best choice for him. He had always talked about wanting to be a gym leader. And the league here had personally invited him to take on the fire gym.

You had flashes of doubt about being here, but just for a moment as the ad faded away to another one.

Catching a Flying Taxi, you landed in Turffield. It was the first stop on your trip here. You had read about the stone monuments and the art depicting the Darkest Day. You were excited to see it all.

But as you walked about the town, it began to get darker and you realized that there was a significant time difference between Hoenn and Galar.

You were staying at a small inn, and passed by the gym to get there. You took a look inside, since you had heard a match going on while you were wandering around the town. Inside the lobby, you spotted someone who had to be Milo and...

Oh no. 

Eye contact had already been made as the older man glanced outside the gym for just a moment as you passed. When he noticed you, he stepped away from the conversation and started making his way to the door. And you bolted.

Running as fast as you could, you burst through the doors of the inn, startling the woman at the counter. "I'm so sorry, I just... saw a shadow outside and wanted to get inside as quick as possible." You lied, smiling at the woman. You checked in with her and she handed you the keys to your room. You dragged your things up there, and collapsed on the bed once in the room.

You could barely keep yourself from crying.

The next day, the sun came glaring in through the window far too soon. You rubbed your weary eyes and sat up, realizing you hadn't even bothered to change from the day before. It had been such a shock to see Kabu that you weren't thinking.

You packed up all of your things and made your way downstairs to check out. You were greeted by a different, friendlier face. "My, it's not often we get young people coming through town! What brings you to Turffield, love?" The old woman was sweet, and you needed sweetness right now. "Just visiting. I'm actually from Hoenn, but I wanted to travel somewhere new." Her face lit up. "Hoenn, you say? We have a gym leader here who's originally from Hoenn! Maybe you'd know him." She didn't know any better, so you just smiled. "Maybe! Thank you for the hospitality." You handed the keys back to her and headed outside where it was much brighter than you'd expected. 

Next stop was Hulbury. You knew it was a seaside community, and you were excited to see it since you'd lived by a volcano for much of your life. You were overwhelmed as the smell of ocean hit you when you entered town.

It was refreshing and cool, like a rare breeze drifting through your hometown. You were eager to explore what the town had to offer.

You spent a good amount of time at the market, seeing what they had to offer that you couldn't get in Hoenn. You got plenty of things you weren't sure you'd be able to fit in your suitcase on the way back and then wandered around the town. The lighthouse was lovely, and reassured you in your want of a Toxtricity. You decided to skip out on the gym, since you planned on seeing Nessa in action later that week.

And just like that, you had seen everything in Hulbury. The sun was still high in the sky and there was nothing left to do except...

You wanted to see him. That was something you were sure of now, but you didn't want to intrude on his new life here. You had probably changed so much, you were 18 when he left and now you were nearing 21. You knew he would recognize you, but would he want to see you after what happened in Turffield? 

Could you face him knowing you still had those strong feelings for him that you'd always had?

You'd have to. You were determined to see him. 

You called a Flying Taxi, wanting to get to Motostoke as soon as possible. You landed and immediately made your way to the gym. The city was large and beautiful, and you'd explore it soon enough, but right now you were on a mission.

The doors of the gym loomed in front of you. You had to force your legs to move so you could go inside. The doors opened and you were greeted by a trainer of the gym. "We don't usually get visitors when there's no match going on, is there something we can help you with?" She asked, beaming at you. "Oh well, I was hoping I could see Kabu." You said, hoping he was here. 

"Oh! Kabu is currently on the turf training. We're not supposed to let non-trainers onto the field however." She said, seeming to think that would be the end of the conversation, but you pulled out a Pokeball. "I'm a trainer. And I know Kabu." She sighed, knowing you would probably be relentless until she let you in. She pointed to a set of doors that led to the field. "Thank you." 

She disappeared into what you presumed were the locker rooms and you walked out onto the field with as much confidence as you could muster. And there he was.

Yelling out commands to his team, you watched for a moment as he masterfully directed the Pokemon. You just watched, thinking he might not notice you, until his Arcanine caught sight of you. Even after yelling for it to stop, the huge dog bounded towards you, pouncing on you when he was close enough. You were knocked to the ground while he licked at your face. You ran a hand through his fur as he calmed down and moved off you. You could already hear Kabu muttering apologies, but he stopped when he saw you.

There was silence between the two of you. He just looked at you. 

"Your hair is different."

Of course that's what he would say first. After not seeing you for almost two and a half years, all he can comment on is your hair. "Yours is too, old man." You said snidely, crossing your arms as Arcanine flopped down next to you. He smiled a bit at your comment, missing how you always kept him humble. 

He took a step towards you hesitantly, your arms still crossed across your chest. "How have you been?" He asked, acting like this was all normal. "You don't get to ask that. You leave on the day of my 18th birthday when you'd promised to take me somewhere beautiful, and then expect everything to be okay." You accused, anger you didn't even know you had beginning to spill out. "You're right, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have assumed everything would be okay."

You huffed a bit, causing the Pokemon at your leg to nuzzle into you a bit. "You're not going to apologize for leaving me like you did? You're just sorry for assuming?" You said, kneeling down to pet Arcanine again. He sighed, clearly upset. "I didn't have much of a choice. My dream falls right in front of me, you can't think I wouldn't have taken it." You glared at him. "A warning would've been nice. You up and leave right at the end of my training and I have to finish it by myself. It wasn't easy."

And then he snapped. "It wasn't easy for me to leave, you know! I so badly wanted to ask you to come with me so you could train here under a real gym leader, someone you could be proud to call your mentor. But I couldn't. You were a child." He said child with such malice that you had to step back. "I was 18 years old. I may not have been an adult, but I could make my own decisions. I would've came with if you had just asked!" You snapped back, face burning red when you realized what you said. 

Kabu was quiet. "You would've come with me...?" You swallowed roughly, hands dropping to your sides and tugging at your shirt. "I... No, I meant... Well..." You were tripping over your explanation, unable to backtrack what you'd said before. He closed the distance between you and him. "Stay here. Come to Galar and be my apprentice." He took your hands from your sides. "I've... I've missed you. Please, stay in Galar."

It was quite a jump to make, from practically yelling at each other to him begging you to move to an entirely different region and be his apprentice. And yet, you were considering it. "I... need some time to think about that. And it's getting late. I need to get to my hotel." He seemed disappointed that you hadn't said yes right away, but nodded. "Is it the one by the stadium? I can walk you there." Answering in the affirmative, the two of you left the gym and walked to the Budew Drop Inn. 

You expected him to leave as soon as you checked in but he walked you to your room as well, earning you some strange looks from people sitting in the lobby as you stepped onto the lift with him. You got to your room and opened the door, stepping inside with your things. You turned to say goodbye, and he was incredibly close to you when you did. 

He was still a little taller than you, just not as much as he had been when you were younger. You could see visible signs of aging, but only when you looked for them. He had kept himself impeccably healthy and he looked like it. His hair wasn't as dark as it had once been, but still had a small piece that hung out over his forehead. Kabu's dark eyes searched your face, looking for something you weren't sure of. You could've sworn he looked at your lips for just a moment. "You've changed a lot." He finally said, breaking the silence. "I grew up." You responded quietly, looking down at the ground. 

Kabu hadn't gotten a particularly good look at you since you burst into his gym, but now as you stood before him, he could clearly see you had grown into a fiercely beautiful young woman, just as he always expected you would. What he hadn't expected, however, was the ache in his chest he got from looking at you.

Again, he was silent. You watched him just look at you for a moment, trying to understand what exactly he was trying to accomplish. "Kabu?" You said, breaking him out of his trance. "Sorry. It's just strange to see a familiar face here." You didn't need to know he was lying.

Once he had left you at your hotel, Kabu walked back to his own home. Despite the fact that he had an important exhibition match coming up, you were the only thing on his mind. You burst into his gym while he was trying to train, accused him of abandoning you, and were more disrespectful than you had ever been he was your mentor. And yet, he was proud of you. 

When you were younger, he would push you to your limits, to the point you would collapse out of exhaustion. But you never pushed back against him. He wanted you to get strong as a trainer but also as a person. Knowing that you had finally grown a backbone and were pushing back now, it made him proud of you. 

There was another feeling too, one he couldn't quite place. The two of you had become much closer as you got older. He knew practically everything about you, and considered you one of his closest friends. That's why it hurt him so much to leave when he did. The league had requested his presence in Galar immediately and he went as soon as he could. But the thought of having to tell you nearly broke his heart, and so he left without saying anything. He couldn't bear to see the look on your face when he said he'd have to leave.

It was a terrible decision. Kabu never thought he would see you again, despite how much that hurt him, and when he saw you outside of the gym in Turffield, he thought he was hallucinating. The past few months had been difficult for him. The fire gym had been dropped to the minor leagues due to his performance, and he was struggling to find purpose in Galar. He didn't think he was deserving of the position he had been given and was regretting leaving his life in Hoenn behind.

Seeing you seemed like a sign. He had planned to visit his home soon, but after seeing you outside of the gym, he had bumped his trip up sooner. But then you came to his gym and you were there. You were in Galar. It seemed like his purpose had returned. He had spent years of his life training others, and you were the one he was most proud of. He wanted to help you finish your training, and maybe someday you could take over his gym and make it better than he ever could.

But you were so filled with anger that he knew you wouldn't want to stay. Why would you? Why would you give up a potential happy life in Hoenn to be trained by an old man in a place that wasn't your home? He knew it was a long shot, but he had missed his chance to ask you to come with him the first time and he wasn't going to miss it this time.

The whole way home, your face stuck in his mind. He'd only seen you smile once during your entire interaction and it was when you were petting his Arcanine. Not when you saw him. So whatever these feelings were that he suddenly had for you, there was no way they were reciprocated. And Kabu wasn't even sure what those feelings were.

He finally got to his home and immediately went to bed. He didn't sleep at all. He could only think about you, and the way you made his chest ache when you looked at him the way you did.

The next day, you showed up at the Motostoke gym bright and early, wearing the uniform of the Lavaridge gym. It was an open training day, and you planned to battle to get your mind off the decision Kabu had asked you to make.

A few trainers challenged you and you gained victory faster than you had hoped. The only thing this was doing was reminding you how good of a mentor Kabu had been. The gym began to empty out, and you were left with only one other trainer.

He was formidable enough, but not anything too imposing that you couldn't win. He was wearing the same uniform the trainer at the gym yesterday had been wearing, so you assumed he was a trainer at Kabu's gym. Once you finished off his last Pokemon, he was clearly frustrated. "Who even are you? You think you can come into Motostoke wearing some other gym's uniform and disgrace us? If only Kabu was here, he'd-" The trainer was cut off by a cough from the sidelines. The man in question was standing there, and you were unsure of how long he'd been there. "What would I do?" The trainer quickly apologized and scurried off into the locker rooms. 

"I'm sorry about him. He can be a bit hot-headed, though that's to be expected of fire specialists." He said, stepping towards you. "You're the exception to that rule, you know. Always cool, calm, and collected." You smiled just a bit, before taking on a serious face again. As soon as he saw that faint glint of a smile, the aching feeling in his chest returned. "I won't ask if you've made a decision, I don't want to pressure you." There he was. The man who'd trained you to be a fierce trainer since you were just a child, and cared about you as a father would for his child. Or that's how you assumed he saw you. "Actually, I... I've made my choice." You don't know what made you so sure in that moment, but you were.

Kabu felt his heart in his throat as you spoke. "I want to stay."


	3. Home

Galar had quickly become your home. Hoenn would always be where you came from, but where you were now offered so many opportunities for growth that you couldn't deny that it was good decision to come here and be mentored once again by Kabu. 

You spent most of your time working in Kabu's gym. While he trained for the gym challenge, he had tasked you with instructing his gym's trainers. There were a few new faces and you were happy to finally be working as a leader rather than Kabu's apprentice. 

His trainers were incredibly fast learners and took to your battle style quickly. They learned new ways to use fire-type moves and were impressed with the skill level you had shown despite being the same age as many of them. One particular trainer took more interest in you than the others.

He had kind eyes and a lazy smile that took your mind off of all the stress you had on you at the time. His name was Thomas, he quickly informed you. He asked you about your life in Hoenn. He had a lot of questions about the gym system there. He had grown up in Galar and had never been anywhere else. 

So you told him all about the gyms and the Pokemon League and the Elite Four and the champion. It was similar enough to Galar that he understood, but he questioned why it wasn't as much of a spectacle as it is in Galar. Truthfully, you didn't have an answer. "I assume it's because Hoenn is a bit more old-fashioned, but I like the way it's done here better." You explained, smiling at how attentive he had been the entire time. 

The next few days, after practice you would meet with Thomas and answer any questions he had. You may have given him a little extra instruction, but he was a dutiful trainer and always wanted to improve. You didn't mind. Spending time with him made you forget about things that had once bothered you about living in Galar. 

Once a week, you had lunch with Kabu so he could check up on you and make sure you were still doing well in your new home, mostly at your parent's request but also for his own peace of mind. You were a little late to lunch this day, because you had been with Thomas. Kabu didn't care for tardiness, and you knew that. But you had lost track of time and were sprinting to the place you were meeting him.

As soon as he saw you, all irritation with your lateness dissipated and he was just happy to see you. That ache in his chest that he first got when you came to Galar months ago had never stopped.

Your meetings with him were generally just updates about your life and what was going on. Things never really changed for you all that often, so you were excited to share with your mentor that you had made a friend. But as soon as you brought up all the time you had been spending with Thomas, Kabu seemed to go cold. 

You didn't know what happened. You mentioned that you had been giving Thomas extra training and the two of you had become close friends. There was nothing you had said that you thought would upset your mentor, but for some reason he was more unresponsive until your lunch was over. He left quickly and you were left alone wondering what you had said wrong.

He didn't answer any calls or texts, but that wasn't entirely unusual for him since he didn't like using his phone all that much. You decided that you would just ask him in person the next time you saw him what was wrong.

You showed up to the Motostoke gym the next day for your last day of training with the new trainers. As you entered, the front desk attendant stopped you and handed you a piece of paper. "It's from Kabu. Special instructions about what you're doing today, I think." She explained as you looked over the paper. 

Apparently he had decided that a few of the trainers weren't up to his standards and had replaced them. You would be working with the ones he kept and new ones for a bit longer than you had anticipated. 'No problem,' you thought. 'Just a little extra work.'

The trainers were waiting for you on the turf and as you scanned the new faces, you noticed the absence of your new friend. He had been very promising, how could he have not been up to Kabu's standards, high as they may be?

You were frustrated. The first friend you made on your own outside of Kabu's friend group, and for some reason Kabu decided he wasn't good enough of a trainer to be in his gym. You couldn't think of any reason why he had gotten rid of Thomas.

And when you looked at your group of trainers, you realized Thomas was the only one who had been replaced. You would admit that some of the others weren't all that great, but Thomas had been a fantastic trainer and he was the one who got replaced? You just had more and more questions, and you needed to find Kabu.

As soon as practice was over, you dismissed the trainers and found your way to Kabu's office where he usually was after a day of training. You knocked on his door, knowing he didn't like unexpected intrusions to his workplace. He told you to come in and smiled when he saw you. 

But you weren't smiling and he quickly noticed. 

"Why did you replace Thomas? He had a lot of potential and was working harder than any of the other trainers." You asked, not wanting to waste any time. Kabu sighed. "He was too easily distracted. In battle, he would get burned." You shook your head. "No, I've worked with him enough to know that's not true. He's focused and determined in battle. What's the real reason?" 

He knew why he had replaced the boy. He was jealous. He had no reason to be jealous; he had been pushing you to make friends and this Thomas seemed to be progress for you. But when you mentioned him at lunch, Kabu couldn't help but feel upset that some other person was getting all of your attention.

It was ridiculous. Of course a young man would be getting your attention. You were a young, beautiful, talented trainer and he was... Well, he wasn't in any position to be possessive of your time and attention. But he had to give you some reason you would believe. He could tell the truth, but he wasn't even entirely sure what the truth was. 

You glared at him, waiting for an answer while he floundered to tell the truth. "You can't even give me the real reason? Did you just not like him or something? You might have if you had gotten to know him at all. But instead you just got rid of him and I don't even know why. I don't know why I bother with this. You don't ever talk to me anymore." You huffed, arms crossing over your chest. You had a point there. Recently, every time you and him had talked, he found himself at a loss for words. It wasn't that he didn't have anything to say, he just didn't know how to say it. Even now, Kabu couldn't find the right words to say to you.

"If you can't even give me an honest answer as to why you got rid of my first friend here, then maybe I shouldn't work here anymore." 

You had been offered an apprenticeship with Macro Cosmos Energy in Wyndon and you hadn't really considered it until your relationship with Kabu had seemingly turned sour. But as soon as you mentioned leaving, Kabu immediately spoke.

"No, don't... leave." He said, standing from his desk. "You're doing a great job here and I appreciate everything you do." You lessened your glare. "That's still not an answer Kabu."

You wanted an answer. And you weren't going to leave until you had one.

And that's what worried Kabu. Looking at you, the now grown woman he had known your entire life. He knew you inside and out, but there was a part of him that wanted to know you better. He wanted to see a side of you that he knew no one else saw. And maybe that was why he wanted to get rid of Thomas. He wanted to be the one to know you. But he couldn't tell you that. He was twice your age and your mentor at that. He couldn't tell you that he couldn't stop thinking about you after your first night in Motostoke when he dropped you off at your hotel. He couldn't tell you that every time you smiled his heart flew into his throat. He couldn't tell you that his heart pounded when you were close to him. He couldn't tell you that he wanted you to run into his arms whenever you won a battle, or that he wanted to hold you whenever you were sad. And he certainly couldn't tell you that he was in love with you and had known that since you walked into his gym.

He couldn't.

You stood there, as indignant as ever, and he just knew he had to tell you. Kabu didn't want to live a life of regrets, and he knew that he would regret not saying anything to you. 

"I made him leave because I didn't want you to get close to him." He explained, preparing to practically spill his guts to you. And then you laughed. "You wanted to keep a boy away from me? So either you're trying to replace my dad or you have a crush on me, and I know it's not that because the world certainly doesn't want to fulfill my childhood fantasy." You laughed again, and Kabu was just in shock. "Your... childhood fantasy?" You tilted your head and looked at him like he was crazy. "Did you not know...? I had the biggest crush on you when I was a kid. Well, I guess it lasted until I was 18, so I suppose that's more than a childhood fantasy."

Knowing that explained so much. Your dedication to impressing him, your anger when he left suddenly... It all made sense now. But it seemed like your positions were now flipped. He was the one hopelessly in love with someone who didn't reciprocate. "I had no idea." Kabu said, sitting down again as he was feeling lightheaded. You took the opportunity to sit down, pulling a chair over to sit in front of him.

"It was pretty bad. I was pretty sure I was in love with you." You said, a bit more serious. "I have to admit, the reason I didn't want you getting close to Thomas-" You waved your hand, cutting him off. "Kabu, it's fine. I don't want to push it if you really don't want to tell me. I'm not going anywhere, I promise." You looked like you were getting ready to stand so Kabu started talking again. "No, it's not that, I just-" You stood. "Really, I mean it. You don't have to say anything. It's not a problem." Now he stood. "I want-" You cut him off again. "I don't want to force you to tell me. If you really want me to know, that's fine but-" 

Suddenly, a hand was grasping the collar of your uniform and tugging you in. Lips were pressed against yours, fervent and wanting. And then it was over. You let out a breath and looked at Kabu. "Will you please shut up and let me say that I love you?"

It was like every one of your teenage fantasies was coming true all at once. You had spent countless nights imagining what Kabu's lips would feel like. You always thought they would be warm but rough, maybe chapped from constantly being around heat. They were warm, but they were also soft and gentle, not anything like you'd imagined. Although, this was better than any fictional scenario your teenage mind could've ever come up with. 

The man who you had loved for almost your entire life had one hand on your waist, the other still holding your collar, and he had just told you that he loved you back. Despite all the times you wanted to force yourself to think your feelings had gone away, they never had, no matter how hard you tried. But now you wouldn't have to try. 

Dark, fiery eyes met yours, and you knew you had to say something, anything. Your mind was scrambled, searching for the words to convey how you felt right now. 

"You're... hot." 

The perfect words. And yet, he laughed. You hadn't heard that laugh in such a long time, and you were glad to be hearing it now. "So you finally confess that you had a crush on me for over half your life and I tell you that I'm in love with you, and all you can say is that I'm hot? I'm flattered, of course, but it's not what I was expecting." You felt yourself blushing, realizing that you probably should've said that you love him back and that he's still not sure how you feel. He was staying so calm about this whole situation that it made you feel calm as well.

"I love you too, Kabu. I've loved you since the day I met you, but I'll admit that my feelings have changed since then." You said, letting your own hands rest around his shoulders. "Oh? What do you mean by that?" Glancing down at your feet, you smiled. "When I was a kid, all I knew was that when I saw you, I got butterflies and I liked when you smiled at me. As a teen, I wanted to impress you so that you would fall in love with me. I also really wanted to make out with you. But now..." You trailed off, looking up at him again. "Now?" 

You pulled him back into a kiss. It was gentle and slow, the way you had always wanted to kiss him. You wanted to take your time with it, in case this was all some very realistic dream. Eventually you pulled away, a smile wide on your face. "Now I just want to be with you, for as long as I can." Kabu returned the smile. "But you don't want to make out with me?" That definitely got a laugh from you. "Oh I absolutely want to. But it's not just because of a crush. I really love you." He pressed his nose against yours. "I really love you too. I'm sorry I didn't say so sooner."

Shaking your head, you pulled away from him. "It's not something you need to apologize for. We needed to take the time to get to know each other again."

Kabu smiled at you. That same smile that gave you butterflies in your stomach as a child now made your heart practically melt. He was so gentle with you now, running his hand up and down your side, fingers tracing every curve along the way. It had taken far longer than you expected, but here he was, the first man you ever loved, the ever-burning man of fire, and he was finally yours.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kabu and reader confessing their feelings for each other is different, i wanted it to be more romantic and i love kabu and this relationship and thought it could be better


End file.
